International Journal of Epidemiology 2001;30:976-982
© International Epidemiological Association 2001
Special Theme: Ethnicity |
Asian breast cancer survival in the US: a comparison between Asian immigrants, US-born Asian Americans and Caucasians
a Cancer Prevention Research Program, Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109–1024, USA.
b Department of Epidemiology,
c Department of Health Services, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
Emily White, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, MP-702, PO Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109– 1024, USA. E-mail: ewhite{at}fhcrc.org
Abstract
Background This study examines whether acculturation of Asian American women, assessed by place of birth, is associated with survival after diagnosis of breast cancer. We hypothesized that environmental factors associated with acculturation, such as a high-fat diet, would result in a pattern of better survival for first-generation Asians compared with subsequent-generation Asian Americans.
Methods Analyses compare survival among women of four ethnic groups (Chinese [n = 1842], Japanese [n = 3319], Filipino [n = 1598] and a random sample of Caucasians [n = 10 000]) who were diagnosed with primary invasive breast carcinoma in three Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) regions (San Francisco/Oakland, Hawaii, Seattle/Puget Sound) between 1973 and 1994. Analyses by birthplace compare first-generation Asian immigrants with subsequent-generation Asian Americans of the same ethnicity. Analyses were based on the Cox proportional hazards model and adjusted for age at diagnosis, stage of disease, year of diagnosis, type of treatment, marital status, and SEER region.
Results Japanese women had significantly better survival than all other races, but there were no significant differences in survival between Chinese, Filipino, and Caucasian women. There were no significant differences in survival by place of birth within each Asian ethnic group, after adjustment for demographic characteristics, stage of disease, and treatment.
Conclusion The findings do not support the hypothesis that acculturation of Asian American women is associated with decreased breast cancer survival.
Keywords Breast cancer survival, Asian Americans, ethnicity, birthplace, acculturation
Accepted 13 October 2000
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